


(Un)Familiar Faces

by lavendericecoffee



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Attempt at Humor, Bisexual Male Character, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Explicit Language, First Meetings, Flirting, Handsome Jack (Borderlands) Being an Asshole, Humor, Kinda?, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-TFTBL Rhys, Timothy Lawrence-centric, chaotic stupidity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22945030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavendericecoffee/pseuds/lavendericecoffee
Summary: Timothy pursed his lips and leaned over the wall a little. He’s had enough of this solitude of closed doppelganger cabinet. Today wasn’t the day for another self-loathing session. Today, he should go off on Helios and do something for himself.Or Timothy spends the night at a Helios bar. But not as Handsome Jack. And not as Timothy Lawrence either.
Relationships: Timothy Lawrence/Rhys
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	(Un)Familiar Faces

**Author's Note:**

> another title for this fic is "A Doppelganger And A Corporate Stooge Walk Into A Bar" but I saw a fic with a very similar title so I decided to just go with my first one
> 
> I gotta cite [ Spok](https://spoks-illogical-art.tumblr.com/) as my co-writer cause firstly, she came up with the idea for this fic and secondly, so much of the dialogue was written from things we've been sending each other on discord. so thank u so much for helping me out bro ❤️
> 
> one thing you have to know is that this fic takes place a year before the events of Borderlands 2 and 2 years before TFTBL
> 
> it's honestly been a blast writing this one and sharing so many headcanons. I hope you enjoy my very long and complicated love letter to Timothy Lawrence's character

Cloth falling onto the floor may have not made any mess but was still pretty dang annoying.

Grumbling something underneath his breath, he quickly picked up the dreaded thing off the bathroom floor. Then, he gave it a shake just to be extra sure there’s no mess on it. He proceeded to clean his small mirror with the cloth and then put it away. His hands opened the tap, got some water and gently splashed his face. And then he finally opened his eyes.

Same old routine as always, he thought.

Your name is Timothy Lawrence, _not_ Handsome Jack. You’re here because of the job. You took the job because of the damned student loans. Your major was… Writing? Something like this. You’ve survived so much already. I mean, you were a vault hunter, for christ’s sake! And you’re gonna make it through, one way or another.

Timothy sighed and then took a good look of himself. Jack would never let him take off this dumb mask so he didn’t even wish to do so. His eyes looked tired, as if he didn’t sleep for a week, which was only partially true. His hair looked like the graying streaks started to appear even more frequently. Was he under more stress than the usual or was it Jack’s fault? Same old, same old.

He walked off his little bathroom back to his little room. All of the doppelgangers had secret rooms to live in, with all the necessities. Since Timothy was the first one and honestly, a second in command for Jack, his one was a little bigger. But still, only necessities. A bed, a little bigger window, kitchen corner, small bathroom. That’s really all there was to it.

He laid down on his bed and looked at the ceiling. It was the Friday evening and he already was free from the job. That felt more unusual than he’d like to admit. Normally, Timothy was there for much longer, working the most hours of all the gang. But today Jack decided to pass it onto 28. Or 27? There’s been so many of doppelgangers, Tim lost count. But the bottom line was that he had a night free to do whatever the hell he wanted.

It’s been so long since he had some time out, he really didn’t know what to do. Should he catch up with episodes of that fantasy show he watched some time ago? No, the finale has most likely aired and it was completely unsatisfying. Should he play something? As if he even had the money for the right setup. Or a game. Should he write something? He hasn’t done it in ages. Maybe another bad case of writer’s block crept into his brain and decided to latch. No, now was not the time.

He got up from the bed again and went to his window. The view outside showed the space as it was. Endless and unforgiving. And so high up in the sky, it made him shiver and bit his bottom lip out of the fear of heights. Timothy honestly hated every single part of it. But looking at all the stars and planets far off away made him quite… Nostalgic.

Now his mind wanted to wander off to the blurry memories. His home planet, somewhere where he did his major, Elpis, to name a few. And suddenly Timothy felt lonelier than he could’ve been.

Sure, he’s been meeting so many people every day while playing Jack. But all these people didn’t want to meet _Timothy_ , they just wanted to see Jack. Lately, it felt more isolating than usual. Meet, talk, finish. In times like these, he truly missed Athena, Janey, Aurelia, Wilhelm… And probably not Nisha. But he still just wished he’d seen anyone familiar.

Timothy pursed his lips and leaned over the wall a little. He’s had enough of this solitude of closed doppelganger cabinet. Today wasn’t the day for another self-loathing session. Today, he should go off on Helios and do something for himself.

He hopped off to his closet. Firstly, he couldn’t just go around as his normal self. It would be way too suspicious and way too dangerous. So he always dressed up for the occasion. Timothy took his usual yellow Hyperion hoodie, pulled the hood on his head and looked around for any more disguise elements. He beamed when he finally found the perfect components. His trusty old sunglasses and a baseball cap. Obviously, no one will take a single glance at a man dressed like this.

Quickly, he went to another shelf. To complete his disguise, he needed a voice changer. Jack’s voice was too distinguished to go around and greet everyone with “Lookin’ good, cupcake! Not as good as me, though”, like he always had to. That’s why he always carried some implants around, just in case. He picked the safe choice of some soft, manly voice. He tried speaking through it. Worked perfectly.

Before wandering off, he took the last look of himself in the mirror. He wasn’t going to be Handsome Jack. Hell, he wasn’t even going to be Timothy Lawrence. Today, he’s just another face on Helios – no one who’d stand out, no one who’d cause too much trouble. Today was finally a day to take a breather.

A brief look around and he silently went out of the doppelganger “department”. His eyes wandering in every single direction, just so he wouldn’t have to see any of his, well, coworkers, or that Jack himself wouldn’t notice. His muted yet sleek steps made him go out of the place in a fairly short time, without any suspicion. Timothy grinned to himself and continued to walk in a casual stroll. Another challenge down.

It hasn’t been the first time he’s escaped that place in such manner. He couldn’t spend all his time in a room waiting for Jack’s call. He had to get out, get some more life. Timothy has quickly discovered that a good disguise did wonders. He himself loved the explore parts of the station he knew only through Jack’s stories and workshop plans. The splendor and scale of Helios wasn’t as intimidating as it was before but it still was something. This time though, he really knew how to operate it, he knew its secrets through and through.

What would he even do today? Hyperion workers always had something going on, he might as well just find a good alternative. Timothy looked around every place, just to let his eye catch anything that might interest him for the night.

But there wasn’t anything just yet. Just bunch of the usual capitalistic workers, devoting their lives to the company. Timothy always cringed at their conversations filled with bootlicking Hyperion, Handsome Jack and the whole “wonderful” system. Seems like the only things on their minds were money, promotion and a new car to buy. Sometimes Timothy even wished his problems and wants would be as small as theirs.

When he finally got to the Hub of Heroism, Timothy sat down by the table and observed people walking in every direction. It was usually the best way to know what’s been going on – sit back and listen to the world around you. Timothy let out a quiet hum and let the information flow.

Some Karen just got promotion, good for her. Tom has been fired. From the station. Right to Pandora. Huh. Hugo just got a new haircut which makes him look thousand times better. Hmm, should he know him? He wasn’t sure. Good, good, but where was all the interesting stuff?

“C’mon, now! I haven’t been waiting for the whole week for you to walk so slowly.”

Timothy perked up at the words.

“Ugh, you always say that, baby.”

“I’m serious, it’s the grand opening! Besides, I’ve heard the drinks will be a complete bomb.”

“Now I’m interested.”

And then he noticed them going off to some place called Dolos Bar.

 _Jackpot_ , Timothy thought to himself. Oh god. No no, that was way too much like Jack, don’t ever say that again, he immediately scolded himself.

But a bar? Now that was a perfect place to spend the night. Timothy wasn’t usually the party person but when the night was calling, he had to answer it. A night full of fancy drinks, dance music and strangers meeting each other, probably getting smashed to death. And all of it as _his_ experience. Not Jack’s. He could really use some of the friendlier environment for now.

Not to be too suspicious, Tim waited a second before wandering in the direction of the bar. Flashy sign even with the sunglasses seemed a little overwhelming. Not too much but a fair amount of people going in – a good sign this place wouldn’t be a complete scam. His breath felt a little heavier before going in, prepared for the failure at the breach. But none of the bouncers wanted an ID – dicey from their side, but very helpful in his situation. So he breathed out, relaxed his shoulders. It was finally his time.

From the backs of his memory, Timothy really couldn’t recall Jack mentioning opening a new bar on Helios. But here it was right before his eyes – Dolos Bar: Grand Opening Night! (All drinks half price). Another neon sign have flashed right in his eyes when he entered. Having his sight finally adjusted, he looked around the place to get the complete gist of it.

A quite big room placed a little underground of Hub of Heroism. It was spacious enough so he could already see people awkwardly moving to the club music. There were also several spaces with comfortable seats and bigger tables. Several of them were already full with friends trying to unwind after a week’s worth of work. It really seemed like a good enough place for either a bigger party or a getaway. Tim was certainly more interested in the second option.

He didn’t know if he was supposed to know any people around. Not many huge names from the corporation, not that he needed to remember all of them (still, he felt like he knew more names around Hyperion than Jack himself). Mostly low grade workers, probably hating the job as much as he did. He almost felt like home around here.

Making his way around the place, Timothy sat back by the bartender stand and watched one of them work. He squinted his eyes just to read the menu and ordered a one, fairly high of percentage. God, how much he needed some of that to clear off his thoughts.

Thinking about it actually, he was just as much of a Hyperion worker as all these corporate drones. But when their work was concentrated on accounting or navigating factory lines, Timothy had to impersonate an asshole, talk like an asshole and be an asshole at asshole’s demand. Some people were doing it on their own. Tim? At least he got paid to do it.

Still… It was a burden. Waking up every day of his life just to be reminded that his life is just being held to a gunpoint to act like the worst person alive. All of this because he couldn’t find a proper job before. And when he took that job, when Jack was still just a programmer, he never knew that it’ll turn out this way. He looked around the people again. None of them had to live with this. Their choice was just to be a worker in a heartless corporation. He was the one who chose to act like this heartless’ corporation’s heartless CEO.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t even notice how the bartender has already placed the drink before him. He spun the straw in his hand and finally took a sip. Bitterness of the alcohol worked out nicely with the fruit flavor. Tim enjoyed it a lot. Acting out like Jack in situations like these he usually had to order the god awful Jack Daniel’s (oh the irony, Tim thought) drinks. The heavy taste never did it to Timothy like the fruitful blend did. Call him out on the girly drinks but damn, it really worked and tasted better.

Timothy’s sight has once again moved across the attendees. With a heavy mind, he really tried to get away from all of the problems of his usual life. Just for today, he begged not to hear about-

“-Handsome Jack!”

Who the fuck.

“I’m _telling_ you,” an obnoxiously confident manly voice continued the chatter. “I’ve always knew I wanted to work here. This just beats everything. I could’ve never had a better opportunity than this. All thanks to Handsome Jack, of course.”

If he could, he really would just roll his eyes out to the infinity. Right, now he had to remember. He was on Helios. He was surrounded by all the idiots who worshipped Jack daily, hourly. But this one idiot in particular was really pushing it.

It didn’t stop Timothy from listening closely to what he was trying to say. Obviously.

“It’s not only that he’s the greatest boss this goddamn galaxy could see but also that he knows it,” the man continued loudly and proudly, much to Tim’s curiosity. And dismay, “I don’t know about you but I love working here. I’d do anything just to get a fraction of Jack’s attention.”

Timothy snickered between taking another sip.

“Yeah, if you love him so much, maybe hit on him. Cause you really aren’t doing anything for me, darling,” a feminine voice spoke.

Okay now Timothy was trying real hard not to just laugh in his face. This guy had to be the most confident person Tim has ever heard in his life. Not only he was bragging about how much he loved Hyperion and most importantly Jack _but also_ he tried to impress someone with this. Just his standard Hyperion bootlicking. It was funnier than anything Timothy has experienced in such a long time, he almost wanted to congratulate the man.

In the corner of his eye, Tim has spotted the woman that wage-slave presumably tried to hit on. It was mere seconds between her comment and her leaving. He’s heard the man trying to better up his position but no. She was already gone. At least there was a one sane person in this shithole.

Before he could think, Timothy brought up the cocktail and said, “You really tried to get a date by making bedroom eyes at Handsome Jack? My god, you… You know you’re just pathetic, right?”

Without this whole situation, he probably would scold himself for incorporating more of Jack’s talk to his own. But now, when he was talking with another worshipper it almost felt like he just should roll with it. He still wouldn’t hear Tim’s…Jack’s voice doing so, but since that white collar loved him so much, he should appreciate the attempt.

“Really? _I’m_ the pathetic one? Not the guy who decided to cut my talk without any rhyme or reason. Right, why haven’t I noticed,” the man scoffed.

Timothy still hasn’t given him a proper look but he could just feel a cold dead stare on himself.

“At least I’m aware. Don’t really know about you, pumpkin,” Tim shrugged and at last, turned his face around just to finally look at who he’s been talking to.

…Oh, he really didn’t expect _this_.

First of all, he was pissed. Straight up giving him the angriest look he could muster. The question if it worked out was a completely different story. Honestly, it made Tim almost want to smile. The man’s round face and completely grumpy look were something he could only describe as adorable. Still, he really had to admire the confidence.

Second of all… And Tim really hated throwing the h word around but damn, this man was handsome. Slicked back brown hair, mismatched brown and blue eyes, that round but manly face. He was really lanky and seemed like he’d be pretty tall standing up. All dressed up in a azure shirt which had fancy golden patterns just at the left side of it. With rolled up sleeves (and a little opened shirt), Timothy could see that one of his hands was a robotic prosthetic in that hideous Hyperion yellow and the other was covered in blue tattoos.

His taste was obviously expensive, just to flaunt to others that he could afford it all. Like he felt important and should be treated as such with just one look. Everything was pointing in the direction that Timothy should know who this is. But aside from “another Hyperion fanboy” and “unfortunately beautiful man” his mind was blank.

“I-I’m more aware than you want to admit I am,” the wage-slave mustered.

Oh no, that didn’t land at all, Timothy thought at his broken sentence. At this point he really didn’t want to have anything else to do with him so he turned around and went back to his drink.

It wasn’t a second after another, shorter man approached that white collar. Knowing that they’re most likely just gonna talk about him, Tim leaned to listen.

“What did you do to her?” short man asked.

“Nothing, she just… Walked off. That’s all,” fanboy replied.

“Are you sure you didn’t say anything that could scare her off? That Handsome Jack talk, for example?”

“No, Vaughn, of course not. I mean I did mention him but I still could’ve salvage that. If not for that asshole,” white collar very suggestively titled his head to point at Timothy.

“Bro, you can’t bring him upon any talk you have, _especially_ if you want to have a date. And what’s this guy’s deal anyway?” Huh. That almost made two sane people in this shithole.

“I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

With these words, Tim was just ready for these two to reach him with another awful talk back. And then it hit him. This guy’s heterochromia… One of his eyes had to be an ECHO eye. _Well shit_ , that was certainly a much bigger obstacle. Fortunately, Timothy knew how to work around it.

When taking the job, Jack made sure every single one of his doppelganger’s ECHO entries would say what they should say if you scanned him. It was very handy, especially since he really wanted to lay low with all the accusations. Yet something always could go wrong with these, everyone knew that.

One of the things he was actually thankful of Jack for giving him was a certain watch. He had used it in his vault hunter days but it had way more settings than spawning obnoxiously annoying copies of himself. This time he instinctively tried to hide his watch under the table and quickly pressed several buttons.

The wage-slave blinked several times and shook his head out of confusion.

“Jesus christ, did you try to scan this guy? We’ve talked about this, you can’t just go around and scan random people-,” Vaughn (Tim presumed he caught his name right) would’ve gotten on a full rant if the corporate scum didn’t stop him.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I didn’t get anything.”

A short smile graced Tim’s features. He’s never used this feature before so he was extremely pleased that it did work. Basically, knowing the faultiness of the devices, Jack acquired him with a special feature. It could send a short magnetic wave that could prevent any of his body doubles to be scanned by an ECHO. Timothy really hated to admit it but damn, he really saved him back there.

That was all. That was _supposed_ to be all. Timothy was supposed to just mind his own business, continue drinking and try to enjoy the rest of the night. But that white collar was more persistent bitch than he’d ever expect.

“What’s your deal exactly?” he scooted closer and shot Timothy another dead stare. Still looking way too cute while doing so.

“What do you mean?” Tim answered without a care.

“This whole… Thing. Why do you do feel like you _have_ to say it?”

Timothy pulled the hood on his face a little tighter. He knew exactly that this white collar would love to just scan him and then ruin him to the bits, Hyperion style. But he wasn’t getting neither this nor any satisfaction from that experience.

“You know, I could just. Ask you the same damn thing. Why do you think that you have to exclaim that you love this whole thing so much? What’s in there for ya?”

“Uh, promotion, adoration, _respect_?” white collar scoffed and took a sip from his own drink.

“Yeah, right. Doing it all for the corporation that if you died for it would just use your face as a mop for the hallways,” Timothy answered sharply and shifted to the side. “Hey, uh, Vaughn? Is that your name? Anyway please explain to your friend that it’s not nice bothering people like this.”

Just this one sentence seemed to light the white collar on fire. He jumped off a little and eyed his friend from behind and then Tim again.

“Sorry! He’s had several drinks, he doesn’t mean it,” Vaughn answered.

“ _Vaughn,_ I swear to god, I-“

“No no, apology accepted,” Tim shrugged nonchalantly. He smiled at Vaughn and turned back to the wage-slave, “Was that hard?”

He didn’t answer properly. Just grumbled something underneath his nose and looked at the glass with his drink. He then spared a look at his friend back at the other corner and went back to him. Despite everything happening, Timothy was still curious about these two. They shared a talk, which this time he couldn’t hear at all. The only thing he caught was Vaughn’s much louder sigh than expected. Then by the corner of his eye, he saw him flee from the stand, leaving the white collar alone. It would be almost sad if he didn’t just act like a complete douchebag to Tim.

At this point, Timothy expected this whole thing to be done. Just an annoying small talk and he’ll give up and try to hit on others with his powers of loving Handsome Jack. Timothy _really_ didn’t expect him to go on like this. And he really miscalculated that guy’s ability to hold onto one thing.

Once again, he slid closer to Timothy, toying with his drink in his hand. He was focused on it, not looking directly onto Tim’s face.

“Listen, uh… I _might_ have come too strong on you. That doesn’t change anything, I’m just acknowledging that. But… Yeah. What is going on with you?”

“I don’t need to tell you, we don’t know each other,” he shrugged, so tired of this talk. “I’m here to relax before I go off to another week of work. That’s literally all.”

“Heh, you and your stupid methods. You workers are all the same,” fanboy took another sip.

“You’re also a worker. You’re doing the exact same thing as me.”

“Well, I’m not just a worker around here. I’m destined to do so much more.”

Oh god, it was about “destiny” now. He really couldn’t have chosen the worse set of clichés while talking to Timothy.

“That was… So cringy. You know that? Well, you can go off with your “destiny”. Couldn’t care less,” he remarked and then added quieter. “I just wanna go on with my life and maybe survive another month with my wage and that stupid, _stupid_ job.”

“ _What?_ Seriously, who says “cringy” anymore. And fine, focus on your laughable wage then,” white collar waved him off. “But just wait till _I_ rule Hyperion.”

Now that was an overkill. Trying to just silently drink in somewhat peace, Timothy almost spat the fluid out at the sound of these words. Not only this guy’s ego was off the charts but good god, he had such a nerve. Maybe he’d be a much better fit for a Jack doppelganger, he already wanted to be so much like him.

“Do you really think this will happen?” Timothy sneered. “ _Please_ , this Handsome Asshat you love so much will never leave this goddamn place. Probably already working on something that would immortalize him, just so you’ll have to look at his dangling corpse forever.”

He leaned closer and tried to judge white collar’s expression. He was panicked for sure but still confident, still holding on to his truths. Without these circumstances, Timothy would find it almost admirable. Actually, it all was hard to admit but he really never seen someone so focused and drawn to what he felt.

“I-I don’t mind that!” Oh geez, another stutter. “And what are you talking about. I’m on a high corporate position, I’m basically on the straight road to this. Even with Jack, I _will_ rule Hyperion. And just so you know, I could have you thrown away at this very second.”

Timothy breathed heavier, “Then why are you not doing that?”

In this moment, he could feel he delivered the most precise punch. The white collar blinked several times, frowning right afterwards. Maybe it was because of the lighting or the glasses but Timothy could clearly spot a pink undertone on his cheeks. Once again, white collar propped himself up on his hand and took a drink in his hands. He gave it taste, almost as a booster.

“I was just…” he stopped to clear his throat, “ _Curious_ about you. You’re alone in the bar, drinking a girly drink dressed up in a hoodie and sunglasses? And you’re just proudly exclaiming how you hate Hyperion. I have my right to know what’s going on.”

“I’m the one dressed weirdly? And how’s that asymmetric look working for ya, noodle boy?” Timothy responded.

“It _is_ working out, thank you very much.”

Timothy breathed a little louder this time. He was really thankful that he was wearing sunglasses and it didn’t look _completely_ that he was checking him out. But giving him a one next look and noticing stripes only on the right side of his pants he had to admit. Damn, that guy had taste. And he looked fantastic with it.

But it couldn’t stop Tim from pestering him a little more, “I mean yes, obviously it is working, I mean wow,” he started underneath his breath and then pulled himself back to reality, “BUT you’re alone as well. Besides Vaughn, I mean.”

“That’s not true!” a frown graced his features again. “My other friend, Yvette is with us as well,” he then gestured to a woman all dressed in orange, awkwardly flirting with some guy on the dance floor. Yikes. “And trust me, I feel like most of people around here know who I am.”

Was this guy really that well known? At this point, Timothy couldn’t tell if he was just bragging about himself or was it really all true. He shook off his head and looked at the drink in white collar’s hand, remembering another part of his talk.

“Hold on, you’re drinking that garbage and you keep on calling me out on my drinks?”

“What’s wrong with Long Island Ice Tea?” white collar shrugged.

“It’s disgusting.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Uhh, yes, it is. Also pretty sure that’s also a girly drink, kiddo,” ugh. He really had to watch his words more often, even if he knew that wage-slave would love to hear it.

This one really seemed to shut off that white collar for longer than expected. Timothy looked at him precisely, waiting for another one of his moves. It was so addicting, he completely hated it. But just looking at his beautiful features, contemplating another move, another strike. It’s been ages since Timothy has talked to anyone as freely.

White collar spared him another look. Not exactly an annoyed, or defensive look. For the first time, Timothy has seen him just as… Curious.

“Actually… Why do you keep talking to me? You seem to have thousand reasons not to do so. What’s stopping you?”

 _Well damn_ , this time Timothy was the one to be caught off guard. It was certainly an interesting question. The one to which Tim didn’t exactly have an answer. Yet… And he really hated admitting this but despite wage-slave’s complete devotion and absolutely obnoxious love for the corporate, there really was something about him. Something about his words, persistence, that awful charisma he had, even while talking the most annoying things. He couldn’t quite put finger on it but he was really drawn to him.

“I guess, I just… I dunno, I’m also curious? You’re much more confident than any other stooges, I’ve met soooo, I. Really wanted to know what was going on. And now, wouldn’t you know, we’re stuck together,” Timothy tried to make the most sense of his thoughts.

“I’m not stuck with you. I can always go back to my friends and do whatever I want,” once again, white collar answered defensively.

“Yet, you’re still here, talking with me.”

Then something happened, something that Timothy couldn’t explain in this situation with any of his reasonings. The corporate stooge shot him a smile. A confident, very much full of himself smile but a smile nonetheless. And just that little something tugged Timothy from the inside.

“…Right,” he finally answered, giving Tim a small laugh. “Okay, you got me there.”

“See? It really wasn’t so hard,” not even noticing this, Timothy smiled right back.

“Alright, alright, let’s start over. I’m Rhys. What’s up?” he tipped his glass at him and once again propped himself on his arm.

 _Rhys_. Timothy wasn’t sure if he’s ever met someone called like this. It seemed perfectly fitting for him, unusual, original, breaking the mold. He could sense he was exactly like this. Almost as if his parents knew exactly, he’s going to be some sort of tycoon and decided to make it easier for him to be known.

Definitely not like “Timothy Lawrence”. Meant to be a nobody. Hiding behind that god awful mask of someone much more well-known than him. Barely getting over one day to get to the other.

Knowing that he’s fazed off for way too long and Rhys deserved an answer, he cleared his throat and said, “Oh, you know, it’s going _somewhat_. Same corporate old, you know what I’m sayin’.”

Rhys laughed some more, “Yeah, I know. But what about you, do you have a name?”

“It’s Ji _iiiii_ -Jim! Jim, my name’s Jim. James actually. That’s me,” he let out an awkward laugh.

His heart was pounding in his chest so hard, he almost thought it’d just leap from his chest. It was natural for him to slip into either “Jack” or well, “Jimothy” while saying his name so thank god, he found a save. He really needed to find more alternatives.

“So Jim or James?” Rhys raised an eyebrow at him.

“James.”

“Is Jim for someone… Closer?” he scooted even closer to Timothy than before. Oh boy, oh my god.

“You might just find out,” Timothy cracked another smile.

This time it just felt so… Genuine. Like he knew exactly that he wanted to smile for him and maybe even had a good reason to do so. He also felt his cheeks burning a little more than they already did before.

“Well then, James. How about we’ll have another round – all on me – and we’ll get to know each other better.”

Oh, Tim was absolutely right about him flaunting his wealth. But hey, he really couldn’t complain now.

“Are you gonna order that awful thing again?”

“Yes.”

Timothy breathed out with a little laugh, “Then, Rhys, I guess I’ll bite my tongue.”

* * *

Rhys Strongfork. Age 25. Does a lot of jobs all around Hyperion but mostly managing. Oh, and technician stuff of course, he’s really good with technology. Wants to have that promotion, he’s been bragging about all the time. Likes cats – a huge plus for Timothy. His hobbies include uh… Hanging Handsome Jack posters? Looking at Handsome Jack posters? Posing like Handsome Jack? Something like this.

After his next drink, Timothy wasn’t sure what Rhys was saying, he was supposed to hear and what was a completely repressed confession from backs of his mind.

Definitely the “another round” as Rhys has put it has turned into another another round. And another another another round. And so on and so forth.

Times like these, Timothy was truly thankful for his strong head when it came to alcohol. As for Rhys? He’s been laughing at basically anything Timothy has said for past at least hour. Also just talking nonstop about anything he’s decided that was interested him. Yet… Strangely enough, it really didn’t bother Tim. He wanted to hear more, he was there to listen to almost frantic stories from Rhys’ college years.

“Aaaand he looked straight into my eyes and said “Rhys. Rhys, I can’t believe you’ve done this” and broke up with me,” he finished the story, biting his lip. “God, I’ve been single for way too long, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t show off with that,” he laughed along.

Rhys laughed even more, completely unfazed by that proclamation. They moved out from Dolos to the surface of Hub of Heroism just to get some more air. And also since Timothy has noticed how personal their talk have become. So they found few steps underneath some balconies, between the buildings, so no one would spot them. Just them both.

At this hour, Hub of Heroism was lit up with only several of the lamps. There wasn’t a single person around. Just distant chatter and music from one of the bars around. Timothy has never really experienced Helios like this. It felt so much… Private. Almost homely.

He shot another smile at Rhys. If he had been counting, he must’ve shot him at least a hundred smiles today. But he didn’t care. Something inside him wanted to smile whenever he looked at Rhys’ flushed face.

It’s been weird. Talking to someone, outside of the job, enjoying all of this. Listening to grand stories from the corporate world from a different perspective. It almost pained Timothy to know he can’t keep on with this.

“Actually, I wanna ask you something. Why do you keep on these sunglasses and all… That?”

Rhys’ hand vaguely gestured to his face. Timothy tensed up again. He’s tried all of his evening to not reveal anything. So instinctively, he pulled his hood even tighter and adjusted sunglasses.

“You know, I. Hah, I kinda have to keep low profile on myself. You never know when a wrong person looks at you.”

“Am I a wrong person?”

“Definitely no.”

“Well then… So you’re super famous? You’re a wanted man? Or you’re so sexy you feel that people are not ready to see your face?” Rhys kept asking.

Timothy leaned a little closer to him and asked with a little lower voice, “Which one are you willing to believe the most?”

“If you wanna keep that face for yourself, I wanna keep my answer.”

Timothy’s cheeks felt a little more burning than before. And he was almost certain it wasn’t because of the alcohol.

“Anyways, c’mon, what about you, James? Anything interesting going on lately?” Rhys really couldn’t stop talking.

“Pfft nah, it’s been ages since anything interesting has happened. Maybe except for today and meeting you.”

“Ah, you,” Rhys waved off his hand. “For me, lots of interesting things. I’ve had my eyes on promotion for a looong time. And I’m gonna get it, trust me.”

Timothy ignored how many times he’s heard that this evening and said, “I don’t think I’m gonna be on Helios long enough to see this.”

“Why’s that?”

“I…” oh no, and there went the worse part of his plan. “I’ve been… Fired. Next week I’m packing my bags and leaving Helios for good.”

It was probably one of the worst excuses he could find. But he really couldn’t give Rhys any hopes, he’ll ever see him again. Or he shouldn’t give _himself_ any hopes like these.

“Why didn’t you tell me! C’mon, James, we gotta go on and get _wasted_. If that’s your last night at Helios, better make it a good one,” he slurred, ready to stand up and get them even more alcohol.

Timothy pulled his arm, just so he could sit next to him again, “First off, you’re completely wasted already. Trust me, no need for percentages. And second of all… I think you already made it a good one.”

“You really think so?”

“If my last night around here is just talking with you, then I’d say it’s a success,” Timothy answered, completely genuinely.

Rhys let out a small laugh. He then looked at the huge window from afar, almost as if to count all the stars they could see. The silence between them felt… A little different. Rhys toyed with his hands, tapping fingers, trying to concentrate. Finally, he spoke:

“I’ve been meaning to ask you… I’ve told you a lot today, huh?”

“For sure.”

“And since I had my heart on my sleeve, I wanted to ask… Are you single?”

“Uh, yeah, for just as long as you most likely,” Timothy answered, looking a little away. God, he was way too straight forward but Tim also needed to jab at his techniques, “No girl, nor a guy in sight. If you also wanted to know that.”

“Yeah, that was gonna be my next question,” out of habit, Rhys pulled his hand through his hand. “You probably guessed that I’m bi as well.”

“Hard not to notice when I first see you flirting with some girl and now you’re talking about a college ex-boyfriend. But yeah, I’m bi,” he said, without a hint of being embarrassed of sharing this. He’s been way past that, “Still, I’ve been alone for too long. Don’t remember the last time I flirted with someone.”

“Today.”

“What?”

“Today, you flirted with someone,” Rhys leaned on his hand, propped by his knees.

”Heh, well… Did it work?” Timothy continued, getting a little closer to him.

“Certain.”

He looked right into Rhys’ mismatched eyes. There really was a spark in them, something drawing Timothy to him like crazy. One dark brown with so much depth, Timothy could lose himself in it. The other light blue, striking, electrifying, technical. Like they already told you everything you needed to know about him. He felt his heart racing faster than he was aware it could, as he drew closer to him, forgetting the world around them.

But immediately, his expression dropped. He couldn’t go on with this. It wasn’t how this story was supposed to end.

“Sorry but I can’t get my hopes up. And neither can you, if I’m leaving Helios in a moment,” Timothy confessed, his heart heavy at the decision.

Rhys exhaled, “That sucks. Well then, I’d have to sell my heart to Hyperion and Handsome Jack.”

Something inside Timothy trembled at these words. He wasn’t sure if Rhys was joking or being serious but… It stung his heart more than anything could at this moment. He knew it. He knew he was just a brief moment, another face around here. Rhys has already given everything to Hyperion, why even bother. But when he looked at him, he really wished there was something different, something more in his head.

“You’re just gonna go and chase that promotion,” Tim finally mustered up some words, looking away from him.

“Well, duh. I’m so close, I can’t give up now. Just some more strings pulled here and there and bam! Next face of Hyperion, right here,” he pointed at himself, still giving him that bright smile. Yet, this time Tim couldn’t find the same authenticity in this gesture.

“Wish I could cheer you but… You know what I think about it all.”

“You can change it up a little. Maybe I’ll get you back on the position. Or higher!” another artificial laugh.

He frowned and stared back at the stars outside great windows.

“Don’t you think there’s something more to this life that… This?”

His words were muted, almost as if he never really said them to Rhys. But he wanted him to hear this. He needed an answer, a reassurance. His heart grew heavy inside his chest.

Timothy never wanted this. He was thrown to this world without a single thought, just to search for a better life afterwards. It was just a means to an end. Yet, Rhys shot him a different answer than the one stuck in his mind.

“Not… Really? I mean, what else can I do? Here I can make it big, better up my life, better up everyone’s lives! Life outside Hyperion is just… Not life.”

And in this moment Timothy’s heart sunk. He should’ve seen this coming. He should’ve known that everyone around here was just competing in a rat race without any chance of winning. He knew this place too well. Yet he still wished Rhys would’ve been better. Tim just wanted to believe that Rhys, without any of the flash and flare, could have a good heart.

But it wasn’t like this. Rhys was just another corporate drone, doing his work, wishing Handsome Jack would notice him. He’d do anything to get his position, all the worst possible deeds, just to be like him. He looked back straight onto his face. But he didn’t see that spark in his eyes as he did before. Just as if the artificial blue has overtook him. There was no point.

“You… Really think so?” Timothy whispered.

“Yup. I mean, that’s what Handsome Jack always says.”

Of course. It was always Jack. Jack could say one thing and all these brainless idiots would follow him into the oblivion. He was always the top dog, everyone wanted to be like him. And yet the man who had his face never wanted anything to do with him.

Timothy has already lost this game. He knew it exactly, there was no point in salvaging that. His lip trembled with anger overcoming him. It didn’t have to be like this. Yet these idiots kept choosing it, choosing this god awful system and looking at Jack as if he was their god. He has lost it. But… He could always go off with a bang.

He wanted Handsome Jack? Fine. He was getting Handsome Jack.

“Do you want to know a secret?” Timothy asked nonchalantly.

“Shoot me.”

“There _is_ a reason why I cover my face.”

“That I figured myself,” Rhys shrugged.

“But do you want to see what I look like beneath?”

“Godddd, James, I’ve been dying to know,” he let out a loud laugh.

He must’ve been so wasted, he won’t even remember this moment, Timothy thought. Well then. At least Rhys will have a funny story in the back of his mind.

“Then prepare to have your tits blown off,” Tim said, trying his hardest to already talk like that asshole.

With a swift move he turned off his voice modulator. He then took off his glasses and his baseball cap aside. Still, he tried to have his hood on, not to catch any attention. Now that didn’t fit the character at all but Timothy couldn’t care less.

“Bam! Face of Hyperion himself,” he said with a little muted but still full of himself voice, he always used while playing Jack.

Did he just give that guy a heart attack? Timothy wasn’t sure. But in this instant Rhys’ face went even redder, if that was possible. His eyes went so big, he wasn’t sure if he’s ever seen a person this shocked. Then he heard his breath getting shorter and sharper. Oh god, he was hyperventilating.

“Hh-hhandss-hhhandssome Jjjackk-,” Rhys tried to say but barely could articulate a single thought.

“That’s right, pumpkin,” Timothy winked back at him.

“W-why ddid you evenn…?”

“This whole undercover thing is my business only.”

“R-righttgh.”

“Now listen closely,” he said sharply, hating the tone he’s been using, “If you even think about telling anyone about. Any of this really, then you know what happens. You know. Right? What happens is that I’m firing your ass out of here. Quite literally! And it’s not gonna make your face any prettier. Understood?”

“Iii-iiiii-yyeyahhh,” oh god, he was about to pass out. Still, he listened to every single word Tim had to say.

“Fantastic! Want me to call your little friend Vaughn or can you manage?”

“Iii-iiiii-ohhh jjessussss.”

“Then I’ll better call your limo, princess,” he shot him a last face, raising his eyebrow and quickly, got back to his disguise.

He did get Vaughn to get him out of there, like a complete shocked, blushing mess. He’s heard their conversations but he didn’t hear him mentioning Jack at all. Which was good, he thought. So he went back to Dolos and decided to order another drink.

He was definitely gonna regret this in the morning.

* * *

About 20th ECHO notification has managed to woke him up.

He had no idea how did he even manage to get back to the doppelganger cabinets and that he even landed in his bed. That next drink obviously didn’t end up being his last. Actually … He wasn’t sure how many drinks he’s had that last night. All Timothy knew was that for now he had to deal with a massive hangover. And probably something else, he didn’t even have power to think about now.

Propping himself up, he looked at the hour. 2:40pm. Huh. He really blacked out there. Then he checked his ECHO that have been going off for at least past two hours.

34 missing calls from Jack and a message.

 **Boss**  
(1:46pm) GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE ASAP OR ILL THROW YOU OUT OF THE AIRLOCK

Timothy stared at the message unfazed. With the memories of the last night coming back, he really didn’t care anymore. Then he groaned loudly.

Yep. Just another day at work.

* * *

“What the FREAKING HELL have you been thinking???”

Okay. It wasn’t “just another day at work”.

Timothy has just arrived at Jack’s office and he already heard this. Oh, this talk won’t be pretty.

“I… Don’t know,” Tim answered shortly.

“Oh, of course you don’t know, dum-dum. But I know. I have my eyes aalllll around Helios and it wasn’t as hard being notified what the hell has even happened,” Jack growled at him.

Well… Of course it couldn’t have been hard. Jack knew exactly what has been going on in every corner of Helios. Some of the things, he didn’t really care for. But when his doppelganger has not only not been where he was supposed to b _e but also_ acting as Jack when he wasn’t supposed to – then he was definitely interested.

It was the only time, Timothy has actually agreed with Jack’s nagging. What the hell was he even thinking that night?

“Listen, I… It went out of control. Okay? That’s all there is,” Timothy tried to reason anything to him.

“Sure as hell, cupcake. And it’s not like you almost made yourself seen to all of frickin’ Helios. Oh my _god_ , why do I keep you idiots around if you can’t do even the simplest tasks!”

His mind went back there. Back to the stairs outside Dolos Bar, hid from the entire world. Back to Rhys’ smile and his sharp tongue. And unfortunately, to the moment when he realized that he could never be anyone in his eyes.

His chest grew heavy again. Jack could keep on asking why the hell did he even do this and Timothy himself could never find an answer. After all, he despised Jack and everything he represented. He just wished it all could stop.

“Okay, I _know_ it’s not pretty but I swear, nothing happened back there.”

“Nothing? Nothing, really? Jesus, you’re even more stupid than I thought!” Jack shouted again. “Who was that guy even?”

“Nobody… Really.”

“You should know better, if you spent the goddamn night with him. Thank god, no one has seen you with him cause… Wow! Just wow!” he then got up from his enormous chair and went to the window at the back of his office, showing the perfect view of Elpis. Well… Now wasn’t that unfortunate for both of them.

This night… Tim wasn’t supposed to be Jack. He was supposed to be a guy from Helios who wanted to take a break. And he found someone who only knew him in a different disguise. Someone who was willing to talk to him, share his thoughts, not knowing who he really was. Not even knowing the mask he had to wear.

Yet… It was all for nothing. He found Rhys. And Rhys turned out to be just another mindless follower of Jack. Even when Timothy wasn’t supposed to be Jack, he still had to be compared to him.

He couldn’t really defend himself there. He was stupid, he made a mistake. And why did he do it? Why did he try to salvage his loss to Handsome Jack just like that?

Maybe because it this moment he really wanted to get his back on Rhys. On this all stupid ass station that glorified who Jack was. With all of his flaws and ego that was even bigger than all of Helios. Maybe he wanted to show that he could work with it, work like they all wanted him to be.

Or maybe because he just knew that he lost. And losing as Handsome Jack felt so much better than losing as Timothy Lawrence.

Maybe he really got addicted to this feeling. That whatever he wanted to do, there was an even better alternative that Jack would do. Even if he despised himself for doing this, he still kept choosing the same mistakes Jack could do. Whether people hated or loved Jack, he always got a reaction. And maybe Timothy also just wanted the fraction of that attention he’d never had as himself. As much as it hurt him to admit.

He sighed again, “Sooooo, what. What do you even wanna do now?”

Jack tensed at the words. It was almost as if for the first time ever, even he was tired of hearing his own voice. He shot a stern look at Timothy. As if he didn’t feel like he was getting scolded at principal’s office already.

“I’m gonna kill that guy. Sorry, pumpkin, but if you liked him, you gotta shot him a goodbye,” Jack shrugged.

And then something inside Timothy trembled again. But it wasn’t the same tremble as before. It was a cold shiver, terrified of the consequences of his actions.

He had to face it – nothing would have happened if he laid low. He would go on with his life, Rhys could go on with his life. Even if it was living a lie, everything would be back to normal. And now because of him, Rhys was about to lose it all.

Noticing that Jack didn’t pay him attention, Timothy took a step back. He’s always hated this place, even before Jack took over Hyperion. It was a place full of people boasting themselves high up in the sky. Showing themselves as something worth noting, when they all were just liars and cowards.

Now, this place was full of portraits of Jack. The smug face looking at you from every corner, judging your whole life. His eyes focused on Jack’s face on the wallpapers, with the fakest smile he’d ever seen in his life. A face, which was just Timothy’s face. Every single part of it, medically altered to be a perfect reflection of a man on top of the world.

He could choose to forget it all. Get back to his work, act like Jack, and not care about anything he’s done. He could forget the night and everything Rhys has said to him before knowing who he was. He didn’t need to care about his heart, broken to pieces by someone who just cared about promotion and looking good in Handsome Jack’s eyes. Forget his mistakes, act like he didn’t do any of this. All he had to do was just to… Accept whatever Jack wanted to say.

Timothy looked back at the posters in Jack’s office, studying every bit of his face. The same face he looked at on every occasion, every morning, every living and breathing moment of his life. And then he knew.

Timothy Lawrence wasn’t Handsome Jack. He wasn’t going to ruin some innocent guy’s life just because.

“Rhys Strongfork,” said Timothy.

“What?”

“That guy. Rhys Strongfork. He’s 25 years old and he’s been working here for some time,” he continued. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone here who’d do so many different jobs around Hyperion. I’m surprised you never mentioned him cause really. This guy’s got it.”

“And what is it all for?” Jack still seemed unimpressed.

“Because he also _adores_ you. Like balls to the wall, he almost passed out when he saw me like that. I’m just telling you. You want to get rid of the guy who’d basically do all the dirty work just to have a chance to look at you? That’s. Heh, that’s not smart.”

He was cheeky, he knew that. But sometimes a challenge was the only way to get to Jack’s mind.

“Why would I even believe you?”

“Cause I’m your second in command. And as you’ve noticed, I’ve talked to him. He couldn’t stop saying how much he loves all that work,” he stopped for a moment and continued with the most confident voice he could muster, “Okay, I screwed it up. But you’ll screw it up even more if you let him go.”

Timothy observed Jack’s reaction. His thoughts have been probably going all over the place, trying to decide if he believes him or not. And every single thing inside Tim wanted Jack to make one good decision in his life.

He wasn’t Jack. He’ll never be Jack. He knew when to admit his mistake and face his consequences. No matter how hard it was for him.

“I shouldn’t do it,” Jack finally answered. “Buut okay, I’ll look up into this guy. If he’s really all that crazy in love then maybe I’ll let it slide. If not, you know what happens.”

“Yeah… I’m aware.”

Jack then let him go back to the doppelganger cabinet. From his looks, Tim knew exactly that he’ll still be on that black list for some time. But that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he made it through. And he hoped Rhys would made it through as well.

Rhys… It was crazy. Yet his mind still went back, echoing his words in his head. How he really allowed Tim to just let loose for a moment and forget about the world. How his devotion was still something he admired. How he couldn’t stop thinking about his bright smile and beautiful eyes. And how for just a moment, he saw him as someone else than just Handsome Jack.

In different world, Timothy wouldn’t need to hide his face. He could meet Rhys normally, show himself as he was. They could meet again, know each other better. Maybe he’d even have a chance with him. But none of this was meant to be.

Well… Now, he probably would never see him again anyway.

* * *

The view outside ship’s windows might have been fantastic but then ride? Not so much.

It’s not like Timothy has ever liked travel via spaceships but god, that was just too much for him. Every single part of the craft was shaking and he felt as if his fear of heights made it even worse. Not mentioning that he simply forgot how it could be, having spent so many years in one spot in the casino.

Now he was a free man. He could do whatever he wanted far away from all the madness that he had to live with. But first things firsts. Not long ago he’s cut his own damn hand and yeah, it probably made sense to get a new one. Fortunately, Moxxi has told him she knew exactly the guy to do the job.

Knowing that his face could probably cause some… Problems, he has been escorted by the Vault Hunters back to Promethea. Throughout all of the ride, they’ve shared stories of their adventures. Just for once, Timothy was allowed to remember his own Vault Hunter days fondly.

They’ve mentioned that this guy was the new CEO of Atlas. It certainly has startled Tim a good amount. Geez, Atlas was back in action? He really needed to caught up after all the years spent in the casino. He just wished that Athena has taken it in a… Somewhat light way.

With his hopes high, Timothy has anticipated meeting that CEO. If Moxxi could vouch for him, then this guy has been a real deal. And when Tim has finally saw him… Damn, he knew exactly what she meant.

Maybe it was stupid to say it but damn… Wasn’t he gorgeous. He felt like a man, who could do so much, a man of possibilities. Slicked back brown hair, mismatched brown and blue eyes, that round but manly face and a mustache, almost to make him look more important. He was really lanky and tall but still, not as tall as Timothy. All dressed up sharply, yet with a style. He definitely had to admire that asymmetrical edge of his style. One of his hand was a robotic prosthetic in very much so Atlas red, and the other was covered with fancy blue tattoos. There really was something about him, Timothy couldn’t quite put his finger on.

…Now, wait a second.

**Author's Note:**

> thank u so much for reading and I hope you liked this!!! 💖💛💙
> 
> some notes:  
> \- Jack closes off the Dolos Bar right after that night. rip  
> \- not long afterwards Timothy would be sent to Handsome Jackpot
> 
> also hey, have an addendum as a bonus for this fic:  
> It was the Friday night and for the longest time they both had a time off. They didn’t do much, just relaxed, talked and shared the most moments they could together. Rhys watched Timothy play with one of their cats, as they just sat on the sofa and tried to unwind after all that stress.  
> Yet suddenly a memory struck him. A weird, very unusual memory.  
> “Hey Tim, do you remember that one time you called me cringe?”  
> “Uhh, what?” Timothy looked at him, stopping playing with the kitten.  
> “You said I was cringy.”  
> He laughed awkwardly, “Uhhh… Well, I can see that happening... Probably at some point.”  
> “It was on Helios…”  
> Timothy looked at him with a puzzled expression, not saying anything.  
> “…In a bar.”  
> Finally, seeming to recall that memory, he cleared his throat, “That was more than 10 years ago. We’re married now, Rhys.”  
> His hand wandered off to him, almost trying to give him a reassuring touch, he always gave him.  
> But Rhys just made an over exaggerated frowning look, “You called me cringe, bro.”  
> Timothy then pulled him closer and threw an arm around him. He then kissed the crown of his head.  
> “Oh honey… You were pretty cringy back then.”  
> “Yeah well, that’s true.”


End file.
